Rail joint



March EJ652234 mmemom RAIL JOINT Filed March 13, 1927 Patented Mar. 13, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFics.

RAIL JOINT.

2 Application filed March 12, 1927, SerialNo. 174,928, and in Canada March 16, 192*.

The invention relates to a rail joint, as described in the present specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings that form part of the same. v

The invention consists essentially of the novel features of construction pointed out in the claim for novelty following a description containing an explanation in detail of an acceptable form of the invention.

The objects of the invention are to furnish a means whereby the adjacent rails for railroads are coupled together in such a way to allow them to expand or contract according to temperature conditions withoutin any way weakening the rails at their joints; to reduce to the minimum expense the upkeep of the rails; to eliminate the accumulation of dirt, snow or other matter within the joints; to construct a rail joint that will bring the adjacent rails in smooth alignment with the other portions of the rails; and generally to provide a device that will be cheap to manufacture, durable in construction and etficient for its purpose.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the rail joint in an expanded position.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross sectional View of the rail joint in a contracted position.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of one of the web members.

Figure 4 is an inverted plan View of the other web member.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the rail joint.

Figure 6 is an end elevation of the rail joint.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.

Referring to the drawings, the rail joint is formed at the ends of the adjacent rails 1d and 15 and their bases 16 and 17, which are secured by he standard fish plates 10 and '11. through the elongated slots 18 and 4.5 19 and 20 and 21 respectively.

The web 22 of the rail 14 is cut away at one end in its upper portion to form a central projecting buttress 23 while the head 24 thereabove is slotted in V-shape and fur- 59 ther slotted to form in V-shape the ledges 25 projecting forwardlyralong and above the ledge 26 at the top of the web.

The web 29 of the rail 15 is cut away at 30 to bring the web end 31 flush with the end of its base and projects therebeyond to form an abbreviated web 32 for the head 33 and particularly for the tongue 34 which is adapted to rest on the buttress 23 of the adjacent rail. The head 33 extends forwardly into the V-shaped tongue 34- and is undercut at 35 to engage with the ledges 25 of the other rail.

It will thus be seen that the rail 15 is entirely male in so far as the jointis concerned, that is to say, that it is all projection at one end and female at the other though it may be made all male or all female as desirable in the manufacture. The two Z joints 36 and 37 offset any direct vertical pressure on the joint at the base, in fact the break inthe heads is carried forward quite beyond the base joint.

The fish plates 10 and 11 are then placed one on either side of the rail webs and are bolted together through the elongated slots aforesaid. 7

These elongated slots are for the purpose of allowing the rails to expand or contract at will without dangerof the rails weakening under pressure or from coming apart.

The expansion and contraction of the rails are thus provided for without in anyway taking from the strength of the joint and this is due to the fact that there is no direct vertical joint but rather a strengthening shoulder is furnished for each joint and this feature forms a very efficient joint.

In laying the rails the lengths are male at one end and female at the other end, or they are made one length female at both ends and another length male at both ends. A male end is laid on a female end and the fish plates applied on either sides and the bolts inserted through the oval holes in the rail webs thus permitting the swivel shoulders to slide on one another to the limited extent of the oval holes.

What I claim is:-

In rail joints, a rail end having a rail head V-shaped tongue and a similar tongue undercut immediately therebelow and a web extension projecting from behind the r'earmost tongue to a short distance from the end of the lower and rearmost tongue, the web and loaseend surface being at right angles to the web extension a rail end having a head with stepped upper and lower V'shaped recesses and. a slotted web receivdouble Z-shape formed by the two heads and bridging the principal head joints across said web extension. W

Signed at Montreal, Canada, ibis 9th day of March, 1927.

GEORGES CHAGXOX. 

